Ashigakure Shinobi
by Allarus
Summary: A look at the Naruto Universe through the eyes of three Ashigakure shinobi, a village previously unknown to the majority of shinobi. Plenty of action, a little romance and more than enough mystery. Set two years after the current canon.


**I do not own Naruto or any of the attached trademarks and franchises.**

_Italics: Used to convey thoughts and in some cases to add emphasis to speech_

**Bold: Used mainly for Titles, Headings and Announcements but occasionally also emphasis in speech**

**If by any chance you find any spelling mistakes or contradictions let me just say I'm terribly sorry all I do is my best, if you let me know I'll edit them.**

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**_Chapter ONE:Finding Nezu  
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**Nade and Kazu**

_Missed him again. _Nade extended the area of her senses and found another ANBU in a tree another half mile south east of here to match the one at their feet. Kazu placed a hand on her shoulder "We'll find him Nay-Chan, don't worry".

Nade smiled sincerely at one of her closest friends "I know I just miss him, I haven't had an intelligent conversation in days." sighing. Kazu looked at her in surprise.

"_You__'__ve_ had an intelligent conversation?" he inquired with a grin, it didn't last long. "Ah AH, Nade I was kidding, kidding. I give. Uncle!"

Nade let go of his arm smiling, the minor burn she'd given him healing instantly, "Baka". Then more seriously "there's another one half a mile from here."

Kazu looked in the direction she had nodded at and started pumping chakra into his mask. "ANBU?"

Nade nodded and took a step closer too her comrade coming to his side , "Yeah, there must be a lot of blood there too, his blood. All the animals are dead." As she said that she looked down to the little splash of blood they had found here.

"Yeah I see it, we're going to have to purify that area too or else that blood will keep producing disease." He was looking at the small could about half a mile away drifting in the wind when he spotted some other similar clouds further south still. He's there! "There are more clouds of miasma to the south so he must be pretty hurt, he's killed all the Hidden Cloud ANBU that were tailing him but there's still that Hunter-nin to worry about."

Nade crouched down and made a few hand seals to perform a fire jutsu on the blood of her lost friend, denaturing the viruses within it. "Do you think he still suffers?" Nade said just starring at the scorched blood.

Kazu looked at his friend. "Obviously, it's not like he's giving that blood out for free."

"Baka,that's not what I meant."

Kazu looked away towards where he knew the clouds of deadly miasma should be, as he couldn't see them now he wasn't using his lenses. He sighed, "I know…". He heard as Nade stood up next to him and looked off to the south, a plume of fire shot into the air while they were watching it was made tiny by the distance, 10 miles at least. "There that must be the Hunter-nin, looks like he's made his move."

Nade snapped back to her senses. "Their getting to close to the Leaf", she hadn't spent the last six days dodging Hidden Cloud nin to arrive too late to help. Hell no. "Come on Zuzu! No time to waste!" and she took off in a flash heading to the dead ANBU, Kazu heading to the battle.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT. It's not manly Nay-Chan."

Nade smiled and shouted back over her shoulder "Suits you then", but all the bravado in the world couldn't hide the anxiety that Kazu must be feeling through the seed Nade had given him this morning, and she knew it.

**Nezu**

Motion registered in the corner of his eye, if it weren't for the chakra lenses in his mask Nezu would have missed it, he quickly turned his body dodging a senbon needle, only the senbon needle wasn't there. Only the motion registered on his lenses. _What the- _as Nezu watched the needle suddenly shot past him and appeared right where his heart would have been just nanoseconds earlier. Before He had time to process what had just happened his lenses illuminated a shinobi charging at him. However the shinobi wasn't there only his movement was registering on his chakra lenses, no time to think Nezu jumped back somersaulting to a safe distance. The Shinobi appeared in the visible spectrum right where the lenses indicated he'd be.

"_Katon_: Dragon Breath no Jutsu" A huge plume of fire irrupted from the Shinobi's mouth, or rather from his air filter as Nezu realised he was wearing a mask, a Hidden Reed mask especially made to resist the effects of Nezu's ability. Ookachi-sama's mask. _Bastard. My usual attacks are out then. _Nezu jumped up to avoid the fire plume, but it followed him swerving up and bearing down on him. _Oh crap. _"_Suiton_: Suikai no Jutsu" Nezu preformed some rapid hand seals and braced himself for impact while opening his mouth and spewing out water which rapidly began wrapping around him to protect from the flames that were approaching with deadly speed.

"_Futon_: Rising Tornado no Jutsu" Just as Nezu started his technique the shinobi below let off a second technique creating a torrent of wind. The wind rushed up astonishingly fast right into the Dragon Breath Jutsu intensifying the flames a hundredfold. Nezu fell to the ground hard.

Nezu hit the ground hard he barely managed to land in a defensive crouch, his cloak was completely burnt off along with his shirt. Nezu spotted the enemy nin and started to run towards him. _Damn he__'__s mixing elements this is getting too dangerous and I__'__m still injured from the ANBU; this guy timed his assault perfectly. _The enemy nin pulled out more senbon needles to throw, "Too slow!" Nezu released charka from his arms in a sweeping motion sending two huge wind slashes at his opponent who used a wind jutsu to block the attack but was knocked back into a tree by the forest edge. Nezu used the time to form a series of hand seals releasing his cutting breath technique followed quickly by two more wind chakra slashes to either side of the shinobi. _I have to end this quickly or I__'__m going to lose it. _Nezu had noticed his skin tone getting darker along with his hair, he hadn't looked but his nails were also darker and longer than when the fight began.

The Hunter-nin hit the tree it took him a moment to regain his composure the first thing he noticed was the sound, it sounded like a gale blowing through lots of small cracks whistling furiously, the nin looked up and saw the razor winds coming at him. He had a second, maybe two. _If that hits me I__'__m finished. _The nin dived right and was about to summersault to safety when he saw the wind slash, _shit, _he quickly reversed the motion lost balance and fell backwards rolling to his original position, the last thing he saw was Nezu's fist. Then nothing.

The enemy shinobi had done exactly what Nezu expected and as he rolled back to his original position Nezu was already upon him and hit him full speed fist to the face. Followed by a small poof of smoke, _A shadow clone when-__When I was in that inferno I closed my eyes - idiot._ Nezu immediately spun round realising what had happened he could feel his Nai'Honnou uncoiling in the back of his mind giving him a much need chakra boost but also increasing his bloodlust_, where the hell did he-_. That was as far as he got as the left side of his chest was split open with one of the Hunter-nin's own wind slashes.

The Hunter-nin released his jutsu as Nezu fell to the ground passed out, the young jonin had left himself open when he'd only seen through the Hunter-nin's ghost jutsu when he moved, although that wouldn't mean anything to shinobi from other countries being an Ashigakure shinobi he knew of Master Ookachi's chakra lenses and the different effects each affinity produced, wind affinity allowed users to see any movement an opponent makes regardless of cover or obstructions, the more chakra the more accurate the lenses. All he had to do was get the jonin to close his eyes and then stay still. _He wasn__'__t so tough Asciiri-sama overestimated the-__…_ Nezu was getting back up. _What the hell._ His skin had gotten much darker and his arm and chest hair that had previously been burnt off had grown back and was now much longer and darker they looked almost sharp and pointed, if you looked closely you could see something evaporating off his skin. He looked up. His mask had come off and the Hunter-nin saw his eyes they were all black like two endless pits where eyes should be.

Nezu arrived at the enemy Shinobi before he knew what had happened and rammed an elbow right into his gut, followed quickly with a two fisted smash to the side sending the Hunter flying. Nezu stopped and roared, it wasn't human more like that of an enraged beast with a human shout underneath, the wind picked up and began spiralling around him and he continued to roar. "NOOOOOO." Nezu grabbed his face and crouched over and he began to return to normal the long sharp hair he'd sprouted fell off and his skin got lighter, though remained darker than it had been originally, breathing heavily Nezu looked up to where the Hunter-nin had fallen, he was alive, if concussed. _I lost control_, he could feel the viruses in the air around him and he could sense the increased awareness of his surroundings they gave him. _I just signed the death warrant of potentially hundreds of people. No. No. No. Goddamn it. _He knew the viruses could survive in the air for days and the wind was already spreading them across the area. _Shit now I have to go to the Leaf there__'__s no choice_. Nezu left the Hunter and leaped into the woods hopping from branch to branch, to shaken to finish him whilst he lay on the ground.

**Kazu**

Kazu landed on the hillside and surveyed the scorched Earth, there had been a battle here a big one. He pulled his mask tighter it wouldn't do to lose his breather here if Nezu had gotten serious, he could die without it. Kazu looked down towards the forest, where the scars in the hillside led. No wildlife could be heard, a few dead squirrels lay on the ground and a fire was still burning on the edge of the forest that was quickly spreading. _SHIT_ Nezu had defiantly been here and it looked like he let lose. _Nade better not come here this forest would torment her so much, even the trees are diseased._

_Normally a forest fire like this would set every animal in hearing distance off, the only reason this isn't the case now is that all of them are dead _he thought. Kazu felt an inquisitive probe from his stomach. He concentrated and thought about being on the trail and to stay put, the probe retreated but not without leaving a pang of worry behind with it.

Kazu sighed and made a water seal with his right hand, not really necessary as this wasn't a jutsu but it helped him concentrate, he touched his left hand to his mask and forced his water natured chakra into the lenses of his mask which turned blue and illuminated lots of dark blue clouds some almost black in places. _Fucking hell Nezu. _Only a few of the viruses and microbes in the air had started to denature most were still alive if anyone came here in the next few days the fire country would have a pandemic on their hands. Nezu wouldn't do this unless he was close to losing control, _I need to find him now._

**Nezu**

Nezu was in trouble and he knew it. He was hopping backwards from branch to branch trying to stay ahead of his pursuer. _If he gets behind me I__'__m finished. _He'd lost to much blood and all he was doing now was pumping out more he was close to passing out. _Where the hell did this bastard come from anyway, _Only one possibility,_Ashigakure Hunter-nin_, Nezu had come to this conclusion some time ago as his pursuer had Ookachi's mask and knew about the chakra lenses_. But how long has he been tailing me? There was only two platoons following me and I__'__m sure I never noticed anyone else. I need a plan. _He knew one of his opponents abilities and he knew he wasn't going to be able to hit him. Things where looking bleak Nezu knew he only had enough chakra for one more gambit any more than that and he would completely lose the ability to suppress his Nai'Honnou. _Heh, now or never._

"Just who the hell are you!"

_I__ guess stalling for time is as good as he can do at the moment _figured the Hunter. "You know who I am you've been deemed an enemy of the state."

Nezu had a plan but he needed a distraction, hopefully this was a talkative hunter. "HA enemy of the state, you can talk you hypocrite, who do you think you're serving right now because it isn't the Hidden Reed."

"Don't be so naïve. You know the history of our village and it's legacy. Separation was never possible especially because of freaks like you."

_That__'__s right keep talking, Nezu had already finished the hand seals he needed using the trees to break his hunters eye line and was already biting his thumb._

"I'm here to finish you and-" He didn't't get to finish, Nezu had whipped some blood down his crippled left forearm by the time the Hunter realised it was to late.

Nezu made his move. Diving left he let out a wind chakra enhanced skelehand from his right palm it shot across the four meter gap to his pursuer in a blink of an eye, Nezu's fastest attack at this range.

The Hunter-nin dodged the skeletal arm that had emerged from his preys hand moving so it shot past his head missing by millimetres, _some variation on the summoning technique__…_ but before he could finish the thought six new skelehands grew out of the side of the arm still flying past him, they spread out and shot at him covering more space than he could possibly leap to. He couldn't dodge this. _Shit._

The Hunter made a quick hand seal and activated his Ghost no Jutsu allowing the skelehand attack to pass through him, falling to a branch bellow releasing the jutsu looking for where his prey had gone, _Shit where__'__d he go. _Just as the Hunter thought that he felt a drop of water hit the back of his neck, spinning round bringing his hands up to form the seals for his jutsu _How the hell did he get behind me? _He turned and saw a ball of water flying at him, he knew it was to close the ball hit him dead on and shattered covering him with water, a second later he activated the Ghost no Jutsu. _That__'__s it, I__'__m wet? _Then he saw Nezu's face. He was grinning

**Kazu**

Kazu took off into the forest letting his lenses return to normal knowing time was against him, Nezu would beat the Hunter-nin The Hidden Reed had sent after him Kazu had no doubt about that but Nezu was heavily injured if Nade didn't get to him soon he may not be able to suppress his Nai'Honnou and Kazu was painfully aware that they were dangerously close to several populated areas, most worryingly the Hidden Leaf. The Hunter-nin had probably started the fires to try and purify the air around him Kazu knew this was futile the viruses in the air were charged especially with chakra to resist such techniques all the fires were doing is drawing attention. _How long until Konoha reacts? It can__'__t be long five minuets at the most surely, I need to-_

Before he could finish Kazu was cut short by an explosion to his left, it sounded like thunder but ten times as loud a second later the blast wave hit him sending dust spinning about him in the wind. _The heavy water technique. Nezu. If he__'__s lucid enough to pull that off there__'__s still time. _Turning to his left and setting of as fast as he could, leaping from branch to branch through fires and past broken trees, heading towards the blast. To his comrade.

**Nezu**

"I win, _Suiton_: Heavy Water no Jutsu" Nezu grinned, he was burnt, beaten, suffering from massive blood loss, chakra drained and his left arm was all but cut off but he'd won, he could feel the energy build up in the water from here he knew this jutsu could well kill him at this range, but unless he got immediate medical attention within the next few minuets he was dead anyway so he didn't mind. The sheer force of the Nezu's technique dispelled the Hunter-nin's jutsu milliseconds before the Hunter exploded, there was a blinding flash and then everything went black.

**Nade**

Nade saw the blast before she heard it. _Nene _Her heart leapt, that could only be Nezu. Kazu had left the circumference of her awareness a few minuets ago but he couldn't have gotten that far already she really didn't want to focus her roots in the direction he had gone, but now she forced all her senses in the direction of the blast. _NEZU. _She found him the friend they had been tracking for over a week now. Ignoring the pain of the dying forest Nade concentrated on the seed in her stomach and established a connection with Kazu, _Zuzu found him, he__'__s unconscious and close to losing control. _She felt acknowledgement and haste come though back to her. Although thoughts couldn't be transmitted though the seed feelings and impressions could, she knew he had got the gist.

She set off towards Nezu, usually she supported her team-mates from long range but this time she would need to be on site to heal Nene. He was unconscious she could tell the Hunter-nin was dead, incinerated in the blast; it looked like Nene was going to make it. That's when she sensed trouble, Konoha nin had just stepped into her consciousness. _Shit, Zuzu we have company._

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_Authors notes: I quite like how this chapter came out, I've never tried to write a story before and I know my writing style needs a bit of work but hopefully it should improve as I write this story. _

_All comments and criticism are welcome, but err go easy this is my first attempt at storytelling. I'd especially like to know what you thought about the fight scenes and if you liked the way they were composed as it wasn't originally in this chapter originally Nezu's battle was going to go in the next chapter and I intended to introduce the Konoha shinobi in this chapter. So that should put you at ease Naruto will be making an appearance as will all the main cast of Naruto although Nezu, Kazu and Nade will remain my main characters with the canon main cast appearing alongside. Hopefully you'll enjoy finding out how my ninjas three are all linked and how their pasts are connected with changes taking place in the shnobi world. _

_Oh one final thing I just saw the naruto shippuden movie, in it there is a swamp country which annoyed me as my main charters come from the swamp country in this fan fic. So I'd just like to state here that my swamp country and the naruto movie swamp country are not one and the same. _

_Allarus_


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